Shadows and Subterfuge
by Apollo Racer
Summary: Another short story compared to my others... this one follows Mission Into Nightmare. Admiral Racer investigates a murder and gets in over his head.
1. Default Chapter

Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Some of the locations for this story came from the book _Crisis on Centaurus_, written by Brad Ferguson. 

_SHADOWS AND SUBTERFUGE_

"Hurry, Piotr! They're gaining on us!" 

A young woman and her male companion fled through the streets at night. The few passers-by that were out that late would only glance up, then pointedly pay attention to where they were going. They neither couldn't nor wouldn't see the dark figures giving chase. 

"Faster, Piotr! Faster!" 

"I'm running... as fast... as I can, Anna," panted the boy. Despite his shortness of breath, he managed to work out an extra bit of speed. Each building they passed was dark inside, an indication that they were closed, offering no haven from their pursuers. They ducked into an alley, in hopes to throw them off. The two men chasing them nearly overshot their hiding place, but quickly doubled back and entered the alley. 

Realizing that they'd find no safe refuge there, Piotr jumped atop some containers and straddled a wall separating that alley from another one on the other side. "C'mon Anna," he said, lowering his arms. She gripped them, and he hauled her to the top. As she jumped down the other side of the wall, Piotr moved to do the same. But one of the men drew a weapon. A bright burst off energy escaped from the gun and slammed into the wall, collapsing it underneath Piotr. Anna saw this, and as they started to advance, she picked up chunks of the wall and hurled them toward the men. This gave Piotr time to get his bearings and stand up, and while the men were ducking and dodging the debris thrown at them, the couple renewed their flight. 

They crossed the street to a park. There was no one in the park, but there _was_ a brightly-lit station, where a public commpanel could be seen. Piotr and Anna made their way to it. Hastily, he punched in an emergency code listed off to the side. A small viewscreen lit up, revealing a Starfleet officer. "This is Lieutenant Handley. Is there an emergency?" 

"Yes," Piotr gasped. "We're being chased by some men. We don't know what they want, but they're shooting at us! We need help!" 

"If you can stand by, we'll trace your link and -" his voice and the image were abruptly cut off, as another energy blast struck the panel. It exploded in a shower of sparks and went dead. 

Piotr looked back and saw the men emerging from the alley. "Run!" he yelled. They started to move again, when one of the strangers fired again, hitting Piotr in the back and sending him sprawling. 

"_Piotr!!_" Anna screamed, and ran over to him. 

He reached up and brushed her hand. "Go. Run. Save yourself, An-na," Piotr rasped. Without hesitating, she turned and ran into a grove of trees nearby. She somehow managed to climb one of them and hide deep within the branches and foliage. From her vantagepoint, she saw the men run up to Piotr. They said something, but she couldn't make it out. They kicked him once, and when he apparently still wouldn't tell them what they wanted, they backed up a step, pointed their weapons at him, and fired point blank. Piotr was enveloped in an aura of energy and disappeared. Anna wanted to scream, but she jammed her hand in her mouth, stifled all but a whimper. Then the men walked into the trees, looking for her. Anna made sure to lie very still. One of the men passed right under her, close enough for her to get a good look at him. Then he walked off. She stayed there long after they left the area, trembling. 

_CHAPTER ONE_

_Captain's log, stardate 53824.6, First Officer Racer recording: _

We have received replacement crewmembers from Earth, due to our losses from plague that ravaged Minos VII. We are currently awaiting orders, however Admiral Racer spoke of taking the Highlander_ to Celtris III. It seems a splinter Dominion group, made up almost entirely of some Jem'Hadar and Cardassians who don't want to leave their homespace, are entrenched there. Our mission would be a simple one... we would give them three choices: escort to a penal colony, escort back to the Gamma Quadrant... or the more unpleasant alternative._

_Personal log, stardate 53824.6: _

I'm becoming concerned about Apollo. When he was first promoted to Admiral he seemed to have taken it in stride. But his attitude has steadily declined since then... he's been moody, introverted, and brooding. Oh, he does what is required on the bridge, but... if I didn't know any better, that extra pip sits on his collar with all the mass of a neutron star. 

Sam closed the log and looked around the bridge. Everyone was performing his or her duties as expected. Ops was vacant; she normally held that position, but while she was in charge of the bridge, she ran Ops from the captain's chair. Tovas Kaylan, their Bajoran Con officer, was dutifully keeping his attention to the controls in front of him. She then glanced back at Circe. The Tactical officer noticed, and shrugged. It was her way of saying things are normal, but the quivering of the Andorian's antenna told Sam she wasn't in the happiest of moods. 

Sam sighed. _The crew seems to be invisibly tied to the well being of their commanding officer_, she thought as she looked toward the door to the Ready Room. Finally, she stood and approached that door. If it were any other officer, they would have had to wait until he authorized them to enter. However, being who she was, the door slid obediently aside for her. 

The first thing she noticed when the door closed was that it was darker than usual. The lights were out, but it could never be completely dark in the room, not as long as her husband occupied it. As it was, he looked as though he never even noticed her enter. Apollo was staring out the viewport at the stars streaking by. He was half-slumped in his chair, elbows up on the armrest, fingers steepled. She walked in a little further. "Admiral?" she said, probing. When she received no response, she continued, "Apollo, is there something wrong?" 

When he first realized she was in the room, she knew so not by anything he did, but in what she felt. Through the bond they shared, she could feel intense despair. As soon as she sensed it, she slowly came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "Darling, what is it?" 

He remained silent for a moment longer before softly replying, "Who am I?" 

"What?" Sam asked with a smirk. "Is that supposed to be a trick question?" As she straightened, he turned his chair around to face her. All traces of mirth left her face as she noticed the pained look on his face. 

"Who am I?" he said again. "What am I doing here?" It took her a moment to realize the philosophical depth of his questions. "What is my purpose? What are my goals?" 

"Ohhhh... Is _that_ all." She sat in his lap and gave him a hug. "Why, dear, your goal was to meet me so we could live a long, happy life together," she said with a big goofy smile to let him know she was joking. He looked at her blankly, and she lost the grin. "Not gonna work, is it." She kissed his forehead and rested her head atop his. "Apollo, I'm probably the last person you can ask. All I can tell you is that I'm here for you. We all are." 

He sighed. "That's nice. But it doesn't answer my questions." 

She began stroking his hair. "Sometimes part of life is going out and finding answers to those questions. Sometimes the search itself is the answer. It's different for each person." Now she found herself looking at those very stars Apollo was gazing at when she entered. After a while, she seemed to notice she was swaying slightly. She sat up and looked at him. "I didn't know this chair could rock." 

"Mmm hmm," he said, nodding. "Sometimes it helps me think, sometimes it helps me relax... sometimes it helps me _not_ think." They both chuckled. They enjoyed the gentle motion of his chair a little longer until the comm chime broke the silence. Apollo reached out and tabbed it. "Racer here." 

"_Admiral_," Circe said, "_we're getting a subspace message from Admiral Ross at Starfleet Command_." 

Sam quickly left Apollo's lap. "Put him through," he replied. 

The workstation screen on Apollo's desk lit up with the visage of Fleet Admiral Ross. "_Greetings, Admiral Racer_." 

Apollo nodded. "Admiral," he said, returning the greeting. "What can we do for you?" 

"_We received a message from a Commodore Ryan on Centaurus. It seems an officer in his security department received a partial call for help before it was abruptly cut off_." 

Apollo looked puzzled. "And... my help is needed... how?" 

"_Since Centaurus is deep within the heart of the Federation, Ryan doesn't have too much there in the way of security._" Ross explained. "_Security is mainly handled by planetary forces rather than Starfleet. I'm not knocking the skill these men possess, but they've investigated the incident, and this incident might be a little out of their league. They've asked Starfleet for help, and since the _Highlander_ is the closest ship to that sector, we were hoping you might wish to take a look._" 

Apollo stroked his beard. Normally, they might not have bothered with such an incident. However, faced with a stint of patrolling space for threats and stellar phenomena alike, the thought of working on a simple mystery was appealing to him. "Well now, I wouldn't want to let your hopes down, would I?" he replied. "We'll be on our way." 

"_Splendid. Commodore Ryan will give you any further information upon your arrival. Admiral Ross out_." The connection closed. 

Apollo immediately stood and cracked his knuckles. "This should be fun," he said neutrally. Sam couldn't tell if he was joking or serious. She followed him out of the Ready Room and onto the bridge, where they took their positions. As he sat down, he told his Con, "Mr. Tovas, set a course for Centaurus, warp factor four. Engage." 

~ * ~ 

Later that week, the _Highlander_ pulled into orbit around the planet Centaurus, a planet in the Alpha Centauri star system, which was a mere 3 light years away from Earth. Apollo frowned a little. This close to Earth, he was sure Ryan could have easily sent someone from there to look into this. _Instead, he chooses to give me something to do, to keep me busy. Hardly a good way to spend resources,_ thought Apollo. But then again, he admitted to himself that he'd rather be doing this than an uneventful patrol run. 

Apparently, the two Racers had the same idea at the same time... they both rose out of their chair, and were about to pick their away teams when they looked at each other. Apollo smiled. "Tell you what, Captain. We'll both go this time." She smiled at that, and as they headed for the turbolift, Apollo said, "Commander." 

Circe was already halfway to the lift when he called on her. When the doors closed, he said to her, "Am I getting that predictable?" 

The Andorian shrugged, her antenna quivering as she did so. "I figured that half the time one of you leads an away mission, I'm on the team, and when both of you are on the mission, I'm _always_ on the team." 

Sam looked at her husband. "I think we need to leave her at home more often." 

"I don't know about that," Apollo replied. "We do that, and next thing you know, we come back and there's a wild party going on." 

Circe, by now quite familiar with this banter, gave them both mock glares. "I never have any fun," she said, pouting. 

By the time the doors opened, they had regained their bearing. They proceeded to the transporter room and stepped up onto the pads. "Energize," Apollo commanded. 

As the person behind the console sent them beaming, she could have sworn that at the last minute, just as they dematerialized, she saw Circe stick her tongue out at her superior officers. 


	2. Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter Two

Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter 2

_CHAPTER TWO_

The sights of the transporter room gave way to a more spacious chamber. Commodore Ryan was there to greet them. He was a man who looked to be in his late 40s. His hair was once black, but was now shot through with gray, and he had a paunch that generally comes with officers who have spent a good portion of the latter half of their careers behind a desk. He had a friendly face, made more so by the gentleness in his blue eyes framed with laugh lines. "Welcome to New Athens, Admiral, Captain, Commander," Ryan said, nodding to each person in succession. 

"Thank you, Commodore. Now then, perhaps you could give us a little more detail in what has been going on." 

"Certainly, sir," he said, gesturing them towards the door. As they walked, he continued. "Last week, we received a report from Lieutenant Handley... he was the security officer on duty at the communications center at the time, handling emergency calls. A call came in at around 0230. A young man stated that he and his companion were being chased. He didn't get much further when the link was severed, quite abruptly." 

"Any indications of how it was severed? Communications malfunction, or something like that?" Circe asked. 

"Oh, we definitely found an indication, all right. The commpanel he used had been shot out." 

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I'd say that would just about do it. May we go to the scene now? Has it been disturbed in any way?" 

"We cordoned off that area that next day. Aside from our own security, no one has touched anything in that area. We've had a 24-hour guard stationed there so no one would go near it." 

"Good, good. Is there a shuttle handy to take us there?" the admiral asked. Apollo rarely used a site-to-site transport on a planet's surface. 

"Of course. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go with you. Too many duties here, I'm afraid." 

Apollo smiled sympathetically. "I understand." 

Ryan chuckled. "You know, sir, in a way, I kind of envy you. You're an admiral, yet you managed to retain your command. Me, as soon as I was promoted to Commodore, they gave me this position. It has its perks, but nothing will ever beat a command." 

Apollo walked ahead of the group, with Sam walking only slightly behind him... as such, she was the only one who saw his grim look. "Yes, I guess I was lucky that way," he said. Judging from his tone, Sam thought he certainly didn't feel lucky. 

When they reached the shuttle depot, Ryan said, "Well, this is as far as I go. I'll make sure the guards on scene admit you when you arrive, and cooperate in any manner you see fit." 

"Thank you, Commodore," Sam replied with a smile. 

Before they left, Circe told Apollo, "Sir, if you don't mind, I wish to stay here for a few minutes, see if I can't get any other details from Commodore Ryan." 

"Commander, shouldn't you be with us when we examine the crime scene?" Apollo asked. 

She shrugged. "I can always take a transporter there and meet up with you when I finish here." 

Apollo regarded his Chief of Security for a moment before nodding. "Very well... we'll see you there, then." He and Sam headed into the shuttle and the pilot took them out. As they flew over the city, Sam remarked, "I'm amazed at the beauty of this place." 

Apollo nodded in agreement. "Yes. It's almost hard to believe this city made such a comeback from such a tragic incident." 

The shuttle driver looked at them with a clear sense of confusion. "Tragic incident?" he asked, prompting for more information. 

The admiral sat back in his seat and crossed one leg over the other. "On stardate 7513.2, a terrorist had detonated an annihilation device in the vicinity of New Athens spaceport. It was a cheap cardboard box, rigged with a simple magnetic field suspending a small amount of antimatter in the center of the box. Touch a certain spot on the box, and the magnetic field collapses, allowing the antimatter to come in contact with the box." He paused, noticing that the pilot paled quite visibly as he imagined the catastrophe. Sam even grimaced at remembering the incident. "The blast covered an area sixteen kilometers in diameter. Over 900,000 people died that day, and more died shortly thereafter, bringing the toll to about a million. While the tachyon radiation from the explosion wasn't dangerous to life, it wiped out communications and sensor scans of the surface. But rescue and recovery operations were superb. As I said... they did a remarkable job of building this place up again." 

The rest of the trip was made in silence. A few minutes later, the shuttle reached a park and set down. "This is it," the pilot said. "Admiral, if you'd like, I can stay, but..." 

"I understand, Lieutenant... you have other duties to perform. You're dismissed." 

"Thank you, sir. Good luck." When the the _Highlander_ officers stepped out, the shuttle took to the air again and returned from whence it came. 

Apollo was already heading toward an area clearly marked as restricted. Another Starfleet officer was already walking toward them. "Hello, sir. I'm Commander Reynolds. I'm in charge of the site at the moment." 

"I see. This is Captain Racer, my first officer," Apollo replied, gesturing to her. She smiled pertly and nodded at him. 

Reynolds nodded his acknowledgment, then led them to a small pavilion. The damaged commpanel was inside. "As you can see, whoever was shooting at those people clearly weren't playing around." 

Sam moved closer to inspect the panel. "I'd have to agree. The weapon would have to be on at least level 12 to cause this type of damage." 

Reynolds was slightly impressed. "That was my conclusion as well. We've scouted the perimeter, done a search in this section of the city. If those people survived, they must be long gone." 

They talked to Reynolds a little longer, until a transporter beam deposited Circe in front of them. Once the admiral introduced her to the team and took her through what they already saw, the group fanned out, looking through the immediate area. Apollo entered the grove and looked around. Finding nothing, he leaned against a tree and looked at the city he had admired from above. He quickly changed his position when his hand came away from the tree sticky. "This tree is leaking sap." 

Reynolds came up to Apollo. "Strange, that wasn't noticed before. Of course, we never really looked at the trees, just around them. It could be a phaser blast traveled too close and brought some of the sap to the surface." 

He pondered that scenario. "Fascinating," he said, raising his eyebrow. 

"Admiral," Sam called to him. 

The two men walked over to a spot between the trees and the pavilion. Sam was crouched close to the ground. Reynolds saw what she was looking at and nodded. "One of them was unfortunate." He traced an outline burned into the grass, shaped vaguely like a humanoid figure. "We figure from the way this area was burned, he must have been injured, and they finished him off. If he was killed as he ran, the burn area wouldn't be so large." 

"You said 'if those people survived.' You think there may be more than two of them?" Apollo asked. 

"The report mentioned there were two people, but for all we know, there may have been more." 

Sam shook her head. "I sure hope there were only two. I'd hate to think there may be other poor devils who were vaporized like that." 

Suddenly Apollo's head jerked around. "What?" Sam said, standing. "Admiral, what is it?" 

He held up a hand to quiet her. "I heard something." He listened intently, but heard nothing else. 

Circe's antenna twitched. "I heard it, too. Almost like... like a whimper," she added, trying to describe the sound. 

Apollo replayed it in his mind, figuring out the direction it came in. He walked slowly back toward the trees, and found himself again standing next to the one with the sap on its bark. "It... sounded like it came from this direction." He closed his eyes and listened, using his Vulcan techniques to methodically block out each sound he was hearing... the noise from nearby traffic, calls from the local fauna, the movements of his people and the team there. He managed to isolate the rustling of the leaves in the wind, and the very wind itself whispering past his ears... and one more thing. He heard what could almost be the sound of breathing, but it wasn't his own. He looked left, then right, then at the ground for a moment or two. Finally, he thought to look up into the branches. The leaves were thick, but he was sure he could make out a shape up in the tree. "Hello? Is anyone up there? Could you please come down? We won't hurt you." 

Sam and Circe looked at each other, wondering to whom Apollo was talking. Sam shrugged. They both looked at Reynolds, who shrugged too. 

"It's all right. We want to help you. Could you please come down from there?" When he first spoke, he wasn't sure there was someone up there. However, whoever it was stiffened at the thought of being discovered. 

By this time, the small group had joined Apollo at the base of the tree. "Who's up there?" Sam asked. 

"Can't be sure. It looks like a woman," Apollo replied. "She's frightened, too. I can sense it now." 

Reynolds scratched his head. "I wonder why the tricorders didn't pick her up." 

"We'll find out if she would just come down." 

"Well, Admiral, why don't you go up and get her." 

He turned and looked sternly at his first officer. "Because she is already scared enough as it is. I don't want to frighten her any more. However..." he added, raising his voice just a little bit in emphasis, to make sure the person could hear him. "We could have her beamed from where she is to the ground. But I'd much rather she comes down on her own." 

That seemed to settle things. There was more movement up in the branches, and finally they could see the person, indeed a woman, make her way down the tree. She wasn't expecting the sap, though, so when she tried to remove her hand from it, she lost her balance and fell. Fortunately, Apollo was there to catch her. "Whoa! Are you all right?" he asked, gently setting her on her feet. She stumbled for a moment, but righted herself. Apollo didn't let go until he was sure she could stand on her own. "Miss, what were you doing up there?" 

"Are you the friend of the person who sent that call in to Starfleet?" Sam asked. The woman nodded, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Well it's good we found you before those others did. Were you hurt at all?" 

As the woman shook her head, Circe said, "She looks a bit thin. But then, she must have been hiding in the tree all week." 

Apollo tapped his commbadge. "Racer to _Highlander_. Dr. Kellara, come in please." 

"I'm all right," the woman said, startling them. "I don't want to see a doctor." 

"It's just to make sure you're all right, is all," Sam said assuringly. 

"Highlander _to Admiral Racer. This is Dr. Kellara, go ahead_." 

"I said I don't want to see a doctor!" She said again emphatically. "I'm just hungry, is all." She took a couple of steps away from them to accentuate her point. 

They all stood where they were. Apollo then said slowly, "We... found who we were looking for, but it turns out she won't be needing your services. She's all right. Sorry to have bothered you." 

"_Oh, well it's nice to know that she's all right, Doctor Racer. I'll be here if you need me. _Highlander _out_." The connection closed. Apollo looked at his people. Circe was intently studying the tree; Sam looked at him, stifled a giggle and shrugged. 

He made a face at her. _:Ha ha.:_ He turned his attention back to the young woman. She appeared to be in her mid-20s. "Okay. No doctors. For now. What say we get you something to eat, and you can tell us, among other things, why you don't like doctors. Sound fair enough?" 

The woman nodded. He turned to Reynolds. "It looks like the people we're looking for are present and accounted for... except for the ones chasing her. Go ahead and make your report to your superiors. We'll take her to one of the places near here." As he nodded and tapped his badge to contact the base, he returned his attention to the woman. "Now, it's important for you to realize that as long as we're here, you're safe. Okay?" Another nod. "My name is Apollo." 

"Anna," she said. 

"Okay Anna, let's take you somewhere to fulfill your needs." The four of them walked through the park toward the city. 


	3. Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter Three

Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter 3

_CHAPTER THREE_

When they reached the city, the group sought out one of the local restaurants, Sam took Anna to get cleaned up, while Circe and Apollo discussed their next steps. "You realize, of course, that this isn't over by far." 

Apollo shook his head. "Her pursuers are still out there. And we don't even know who they are or why they're chasing her. We don't even know who she is that they'd be chasing her. All we know is they're serious enough that they're not above killing her." 

"But why? Why do they want to go through that trouble?" 

Apollo shook his head. "I don't know. But she does. Somehow we have to find out what she knows." 

Circe nodded. "I agree. And we also must find out who she is... there must have been some people out that night, yet they are only concerned with her." 

They broke off their conversation, though Apollo was entirely unsure why, when they saw Sam return with Anna. "You look a lot better now than you did when we brought you in," he said. She smiled lightly at him, blushing a little, as she sat down next to Circe. Sam took the seat next to Apollo. "So, what say we get something to eat here," he suggested. 

They ordered their meals and exchanged a light banter while they ate. Sam and Circe for the most part ganged up on the admiral, teasing him mercilessly. To his credit, though, Apollo gave as good as he got. The whole time, Anna sat and observed the trio. She could catch the flirtatious tone in Circe's voice, but stronger still was the impression she got from the other two. When Apollo and Sam jibed at each other, she picked subtler, more intimate tones. As they looked directly into each other's eyes, she couldn't tell much from Apollo's expression, naturally... however, the look in Sam's eyes told Anna an altogether different story. 

The conversation lasted well through the meal, and when they just sat there nursing cups of coffee, when there was a noticeable lull, Anna said, "You two are really close to each other, aren't you." 

Apollo was taken a little aback by such a personal question, but Sam merely smiled. "Yes, we are. You seem very observant. I noticed you didn't say much while we talked." 

Anna nodded. "There's a very deep connection between you two." 

It was Apollo's turn to blush a little. "Sam is my anchor. I don't know what I'd do without her, and I'd do anything, and I _have_ gone to extraordinary lengths, to make sure I don't have to find out." Sam gently took his hand at the compliment. 

"Though I have to say sometimes their behavior greatly compels me to suck on a lemon," Circe interjected. The mere image of that brought them to laughter. Anna noticed, though, that the Security Chief's comment was very appropriate... there was more acid in that comment than any of them thought. 

Apollo looked outside and noticed from the position of the larger of three suns that they spent a good deal of time there. His expression grew serious. "Anna, I need to ask you something. I need to know why you were being chased... what was so important that your friend paid with his life to protect you?" 

His stern tone brought the fear back in her. "I... I can't tell you." 

"Why? Why can't you tell us, Anna?" 

"If they were to find out I told someone..." 

"If who were to find out, Anna? Who are you running from?" Apollo was getting frustrated. 

"I can't..." 

"We can't help you if you can't cooperate with us!" 

"Apollo!" Sam snapped, gripping his arm firmly to indicate he should back off. Just then, the chirping of their commbadges interrupted them. 

Apollo slapped his first. "Racer here." 

"_Admiral_," came Scotty's voice over the comm system, "_we're picking up some disturbing traffic over the Spaceport's comm traffic. It seems that a ship has launched without getting clearance_." 

Apollo looked grim. "Have you tried hailing them?" 

"_Aye. No luck. They're ignoring every attempt to communicate_." Silence for a moment. "_They've broken orbit. What should we do?_" 

Apollo stood there, thinking. Sam and Circe both looked to him to see what he'd say next. Normally, this would be an internal matter. However, he remembered that as the _Highlander_ approached Centaurus, they found theirs was the only warp-capable ship in orbit. 

After a single nod from him, Sam tapped her badge. "Scotty, I'm coming up. As soon as I'm there, lay in an intercept course and engage." She looked at the admiral. 

"I'll stay here and ensure Anna is safe," he said. "Get going." 

"Admiral, I'm going to remain here as well," Circe said. 

Apollo looked at first as though he was going to protest, but instead he acknowledged her decision. "Good hunting, Captain," he told Sam. 

She smiled and moved away a couple of steps. "_Highlander_, lock on to my signal and beam me up. Energize." Sam was bathed in light, and she disappeared. 

Circe turned to both Apollo and Anna. "Our next step is to get Anna here somewhere that will allow us to plan our next moves." 

Apollo nodded, then smiled. "I believe I know of just such a place. Come on." As one, they rose from their table and left the restaurant. 

One of the patrons, sitting nearby, gave up pretending to read a padd in front of him, and moved to follow the trio. 

~ * ~ 

Sam materialized on one of the transporter pads. As soon as she did, she made a beeline for the door. "Racer to bridge," she said, "I'm aboard. Get underway." 

As soon as she entered the bridge, she knew they were indeed heading after the ship by the familiar streaks on the viewscreen left by stars during warp travel. Scotty got up from the Command chair as she approached it and headed for the engineering station in the aft section of the bridge. "As soon as she saw us leave orbit, th' little beastie went to warp. We're following now, but she has some powerful engines. It's takin' some effort just to keep up with her." 

"Steady as she goes," she said, taking her seat. "Have they made any attempt at contacting us or anyone else since we started our pursuit?" 

"None that we could detect," he replied. 

She nodded. "Go to yell..." 

"Captain," Lieutenant Gouma, at Ops, called out. "I think they're breaking up. There's some debris being left behind the ship." 

"Debris?" she said puzzled. Her eyes suddenly widened in shock. "Red Alert!! Shields _up!_ Evasive maneuvers _now!_ Prepare for..." 

An explosion rocked the ship. The crew barely managed to hang on to their posts, but a second explosion rocked them the other way. Sam was propelled out of her seat, coming up hard against the back of the Ops chair. Gouma was thrown over his console, coming to a rest under the viewscreen. Scotty bounced of the Tactical station and fell against the bridge railing. He landed hard on the deck. Other people were in similar stages of displacement. 

When the violence settled, Sam eased up off the floor. She was smart to stay down when she hit the floor, and not attempt to get up while they were still being shaken... that would have increased her chances of getting injured. She grunted. "Status report." 

Lieutenant Brikowski at Con checked his controls. "We only suffered minor damage... the shields went up just in time, though they're down to 87%." 

"Good." She noticed they must have been blown out of warp. "Scotty, how are our engines?" When she received no response, she looked behind her seat. "Scotty?" Upon seeing his inert form on the deck, she cried, "Bridge to Sickbay. Medical emergency! One to beam directly to..." 

"Captain, the transporters are out," said a tall, lanky person at Tactical. 

"Damn." She got fully to her feet and held the small of her back as she straightened painfully. "Doctor, you'll need to..." 

"_This is Sickbay, Kellara here,_" came Sam's reply. "_I heard. I'm sending a team up to help you._" 

"Thanks. Bridge out." Sam turned to Gouma, who was just returning to his post. "Can we still catch up with the ship?" 

He looked briefly at his readings, then shook his head. "It was touch and go just keeping up with them, sir. I doubt we'll have much of a chance now." 

She nodded and sat back in her chair, staring vacantly at the screen. "Set a course back towards Centaurus. Engage at warp three." The crew looked at her silently for a moment, then silently carried out their orders. The _Highlander_ spun back towards the way it came and shot into warp. As they traveled, a medical team entered the bridge, picked up the fallen engineer, and took him back to Sickbay. For another couple of moments, Sam merely sat quietly gazing through steepled fingers. Suddenly, she said, "All stop." 

The crew was caught off-guard, but did as she asked. Sam sat forward, and with her eyes narrowed to slits, she said, "This should be far enough. Reverse course again, and engage our cloaking device." 

The lanky person at Tactical, Lieutenant Commander Benton, spoke up. "Sir, is that wise? I mean, since the war ended, the Treaty of Algeron has been reinstated." 

"I'm well aware of that, Commander," she replied. "But I want that ship." 

Benton smiled slyly. "Aye sir." At the touch of his controls, the bridge lighting was replaced with more subdued blue lights, as the ship disappeared by wrapping a light-refracting field of energy about itself. 

"Let's resume the chase, shall we? Maximum warp." As the familiar sight reappeared on the screen, Sam muttered, "Now, they probably made a course change at right angles to their course, shortly after witnessing what they did to us, traveled a bit, then changed course again." 

Benton was puzzled. "Captain, how do you know that?" 

She merely glanced behind her, in his direction. "Because that's what I would have done." 

Sure enough, Gouma said, "According to the ship's warp signature, they made a course change here." 

"Follow it," Sam replied. "And mirror any further course change they may have made." She got up and headed for the lift. "I'm going to check on Scotty." 

~ * ~ 

Dr. Kellara met her just inside the Sickbay doors, runnign a medical scanner over her. "Now Captain, before you ask, Scotty is just fine. A bump on the head, slight laceration, but I've taken care of both of them." As she spoke, Scotty sat up on the biobed. 

Sam moved around the centaur and headed toward him. She wasn't fast enough to prevent Kellara from injecting her with a hypospray. She turned and glared at the doctor, who shrugged. "You suffered a minor injury to your lower back. That's was for the pain. Now if you'll hold still, I can treat you. You won't even have to hop up onto a bed." She gave the captain a sarcastic smile. Sam made a face but didn't protest. She couldn't help but notice that Sickbay was over half full of patients with some degree of injury or another. 

"Dinnae worry about me, lass," Scotty said, managing a slight grin, "muh head's bounced off worse." 

"Oh, I wasn't worried about _that_," Sam said, smiling. "I was more concerned about what Apollo will say when he sees the huge dent you put in the bridge railing." 

They both shared a laugh. Kellara scowled, wondering was so funny about someone knocking themselves out on the bridge. "Is the ship out of the chase?" Scotty asked. 

She shook her head. "We backtracked a little to give whoever we're chasing a false sense of security... make them believe we've given up. Then we cloaked and resumed our pursuit." 

He smiled at her with that twinkle in his eye. "Ah lass... ye've been hangin' around the Admiral too much." 

Sam shrugged. "Gotta use what works, ya know? Hard to keep from using his tactics when they help the most. But don't worry, no one's going to knock _my_ ship around and get away with it. Hurry back to duty." She turned to go. 

"Your ship, eh? Sounds like you've really taken a liking to this gal," Scotty said to her back. 

She paused, but continued out the doors. As she was walking through the corridors to return to the bridge, it struck her that what Scotty said was right. For some reason, that made her feel uneasy. 


	4. Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter Four

Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter 4

_CHAPTER FOUR_

Apollo set the shuttlecraft he borrowed from the Spaceport down at the small pad in the clearing. As Circe and Anna stepped out, their jaws hung open in awe. "Captain... this place is so... so..." 

"Beautiful!" Anna finished for Circe. They had touched down behind a small cabin on the lip of a small palisade overlooking a valley. The scenery was picture-perfect. Lush greenery extended for kilometers in all directions; here and there, the trio could spot the local wildlife wander from place to place, looking for food or shade. Some were drinking down by a river that ran strong through the very heart of the area. The air was clean and pure... it would be very easy to get swallowed up by such beauty. "What is this place?" Anna asked. 

Apollo smiled, drinking in the view before answering. "They call this place Garrovick Valley. It's a vast plot of land roughly sixty kilometers in diameter. A good friend of mine owned this place. When he was alive, he extended the open invitation to his friends, 'Come by when you care to, stay as long as you want.' When he died, his friend who inherited it also extended that invitation. He... doesn't get to see this place too often, but I still manage to visit... from time to time. Make sure the place is kept up, wildlife preservation laws enforced." 

Circe slowly spun around. "I can see why you would say this place is safe. If this land has such large borders, it would be difficult for someone to encroach on our privacy." 

A deer on the other side of the river raised its head and made eye contact with Apollo. They remained that way until it turned and walked back into the forest. "The only way to get in here is by air. Where we landed is the only clearing in the immediate area where anything _can_ land... everything else is covered by water or flora." He shook himself from his reverie. "Come, let me show you two around." He led them toward the cabin where they all went inside. 

It was almost as though they had stepped back in time. Antiquated furniture decorated the room. Actual paper books lined one wall, wrapped in plastic to protect them from the elements. There was once a microwave and freezer unit, but that had long been replaced by a small replicator unit, with a tank under the countertop supplying the necessary raw material. Woodland scenes and imitation pelts covered the walls. All in all, the place had a very homey feeling. Circe walked toward the back of the cabin. "There's only one bed, I'm afraid. One of you can take it. There are bedrolls in the storage closet." 

Circe turned around, with a sly grin on her face. "I'm sure Sam won't mind if we share the bed." Upon seeing the admiral blush, which is what she wanted, she gave a throaty chuckle and continued on her tour of the cabin. 

"It feels so isolated here," Anna said, hugging her arms close to her chest. "So alone..." 

"That how it's supposed to feel, but trust me, we're far from isolated. There's a viewscreen there in the corner that can be tuned to the local events. And under here..." He lowered himself to one knee and rolled a portion of the bookcase out of the way, revealing a control panel. "This used to be where Jim... my friend... kept a special comm unit set for a Starfleet channel. It had burned out, though, so after I had returned to Starfleet, I took the liberty of replacing it with a standard comm unit. It's also set for a Starfleet frequency, but it can just as easily contact anyone here, too." 

Circe's antennae twitched at all the modern amenities in such an antique-looking home. "How is all this run? Where does the power come from?" she asked. 

Apollo smiled and pointed to the floor. "There's a geothermal generator under the cabin. More than enough to supply our needs." 

"I can assume we're not defenseless, either?" Circe said, rejoining them. 

"There are weapons here, too. A little older than you might expect, but they do the job." 

Circe nodded. She headed for the opposite door in the cabin and walked outside. By this time, Centaurus' second sun had set, with only Proxima Beta providing a dull red glow on the horizon. Apollo wandered outside behind her. One of the habits he had picked up from Jim Kirk: as the stars showed in the sky, he immediately picked out the bright yellow gleam of Sol. In fact, there wasn't a major star in the sky that didn't hold some significance to him. A cool breeze wafted in from the river's current, but Apollo felt more chilled by the realization of his age. Needing company, he walked the short distance to the edge of the overhang where Circe stood. 

Hearing his approach, she remarked, "It's even more beautiful at night." The nocturnal insects beginning their nightly song punctuated her statement. 

"That it is," he agreed. 

They were silent for a few moments, just taking in the night. Finally, out of the blue, Circe said, "I always dreamed I could somehow get you to a place like this." 

Apollo smirked. He was about to say something witty, but then sensed that it wouldn't be appropriate. He moved around to look at her face. When she tried to turn away from him, he gently took her by the arm and turned her to face him. She looked down to avoid his gaze, but there were tears streaming down her face. The realization of it finally hit him. "Oh my God... all these years..." he whispered. "It's been more than a crush, hasn't it?" 

She sniffed, but couldn't bring herself to say anything else. He looked out over the river. "Circe, I... I don't know what to say..." 

"Why say anything? There's nothing either of us can do." 

Apollo was a little taken aback by that. "Just what is that supposed to mean?" 

She then wheeled on him fists clenched at her side, face flushed with anger. "Why did you have to bring _her_ back? Couldn't you have just left the past in the past and satisfied yourself with someone new?" She took a few steps away, then looked back at him. In a much softer voice, she said, "Couldn't you have been satisfied with me?" Before she gave him a chance to respond, she ran past the shuttle and out of sight. 

Apollo stared after her in complete shock... he hadn't realized that her feelings toward him were so strong. He supposed he should have gone after her, but he knew it wouldn't have helped. "We'll probably never know," he said to no one in particular. 

~ * ~ 

After returning to the cabin, Apollo sat in a comfortable chair just outside the door, legs casually crossed at the ankles under him, while he stared off into the night. Anna had tried to cheer his dour mood, but she quickly discovered she'd have no luck, so she opted instead to turn in. Several hours later, he still hadn't moved an inch from his position when Circe returned. She stood at a respectable distance, listening to the night sounds of insects and other creatures that usually came out at this time. Drawing a breath, she completed her approach to the cabin. 

He still hadn't moved, so she stood in an at-ease position. "Admiral, I am aware that my actions earlier were inappropriate. My behavior was unacceptable for that of a subordinate towards her commanding officer, and I'm willing to accept any disciplinary action deemed necessary." 

Apollo still hadn't even so much as acknowledged her, and kept staring into space. Before the silence became _too_ uncomfortable for her, however, he looked up at her. "Tell me, if you had a sword right now, would you be impaling yourself on it to appease me?" She gaped at him, uncertain how to take that. "Actually, I should be the one to apologize. If I had been able to tell how you felt, I could have stopped it from getting too serious." Circe looked as though if she had that sword, she must just come at him with it. He stood and closed the distance and place his hands on her shoulders... she shuddered with the contact. "Circe... I _am_ sorry. I had no intention of hurting you at all. But you must know... the fact that I was able to bring Sam back alone should have told you where my heart lies. I would have never been able to do that if my love for her wasn't absolute." 

"I understand," she said softly. He put his finger under her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. "You are still important in your own way. I value your friendship greatly." She seemed even more forlorn from that statement. Apollo sighed and removed his hand... she kept her gaze on him, he smirked. "And you're still the best damn Tactical Officer I've ever had the chance to serve with." Circe finally let out the breath she had been holding in a forced chuckle. "I bet you say that to all the girls," she quirked. He gave her a slight smile. "Let's go turn in, okay?" Placing a hand on her shoulder, he guided her through the door and gave her a gentle shove back toward the rear of the cabin. As she set up the bedroll on the floor and settled into it, Apollo sat in a chair in the living room and adjusted it into a full reclining position. In moments, all were asleep. 

~ * ~ 

_Ship's log, stardate 53827.3, Captain Racer recording:_

_We've been following the unidentified vessel for three days now. After our little deception, the other ship continued on its original course. This action worries me... they shouldn't have kept going after they "lost" their pursuit. I highly doubt they would have led us straight to their destination while we were on their tail. The only other option that comes to mind is an impossible one. Very few people in the Federation know that the __Highlander_ is equipped with a cloaking device, despite its use during the Dominion War. This can only mean that who we're shadowing is from either a branch of Starfleet, or a related agency. Either way, the fact they must flee from a Federation starship can only mean that they're up to no good. I intend to find out what that is, and these people will soon learn that they can't shake me so easily. 

Sam closed the log with more force than necessary. She was getting edgy, frustrated from her lack of contact with the away team, frustrated with the severity at which this ship tried to lose them. Their quarry didn't try any more attempts to lose them... possibly because even if they did know about the _Highlander's_ cloaking device, they couldn't be precisely sure where the ship was. Currently, they managed to keep up with the ship, situating themselves aft and above the stern. 

After a couple more quick course-changes with an attempt to lose them, Sam finally snapped. "That's it. I've had enough. Hail them," she said. She glance at Tactical, expecting to see Circe, and instead saw a young female lieutenant with long red hair. _One of the new crewmembers,_ she thought, chiding herself for forgetting that Circe was back on Centaurus with Apollo. _Jaden, I think her name is._

The lieutenant nodded when she made the hail. "Unidentified ship, this is the _USS Highlander_. I think this chase has gone on long enough. Drop out of warp and come to a full stop or I will open fire upon you." 

There was no response. Sam looked to Jaden for information. "They're receiving us, Captain," Jaden said, "they just apparently don't have much to say." 

"We'll see about that," Sam grumbled. "Lock photon torpedoes onto them." 

Jaden's eyes widened. "Captain, we'll have to drop our cloak in order to arm weapons." 

Sam stared at Jaden for a moment before answering, "Fine. Decloak. Since we're doing that, we'll go to full Red Alert. But I want torpedoes locked onto him." The Lieutenant nodded and complied with her followed orders. They let a moment or two go by, allowing the other ship to chew on the fact that they have a weapon's lock on them. A Vulcan at the Conn position commented, "Perhaps they don't believe you are willing to fire upon another Federation ship." 

"Oh really..." Sam grinned evilly. "Fire." 

Two bright pinpoints of light shot out from either side of the Highlander's main deflector. Not having that far to travel, they almost immediately slammed into the rear of the ship. It's shields flared brightly as it's subspace envelope dissolved, taking it out of warp. The _Highlander_ was right behind it. 

Sam sat back and smiled. She looked to make sure the channel was still open. Upon receiving confirmation, she said, "Now... come to a full stop and prepare to be boarded, or we will fire on you again. This time we'll use quantum torpedoes." 

They waited a full minute before Jaden reported, "They've stopped, and their shields are dropping." 

"Put a tractor beam on them to keep them from getting away. Lieutenant, call up a four-man security team and have them meet us in the transporter room." She stormed into the turbolift with Jaden in tow. 

~ * ~ 

They made an impressive sight when they beamed aboard the other ship. The security members all fanned out and had their hand phasers drawn. Sam was a little more dangerous; she held a phaser rifle and a glare that would melt dilithium. "My, aren't we prepared." The statement came from a rugged-looking man with blond hair, a square jaw, and cold blue eyes. All of them were wearing black leather uniforms. 

Sam wasted no time. She strode right up to the man, planted the rifle muzzle under his chin, and said, "Look mister, I have PMS and a very large phaser. Give me one good reason why I don't vaporize you from the neck up." 

To his credit, the man didn't even flinch. In fact, he gave Sam a humorless smile. "If you put that weapon down, I'll explain." 

Sam glared at him for a moment longer. When she saw he wasn't going to do or say a thing unless she complied, she slowly lowered the rifle. "My name is Sloan, and I'm on a mission of which the security of the Federation depends on its success." 

"A mission... you don't look like Starfleet." 

He studied her, trying to decide just how much he can tell her. Finally, whether he figured he could trust her or he simply felt she wouldn't let him go any further, he said, "We're part of a group of Intelligence nearly as old as the Federation. Our exact name is nothing you need to concern yourself with. However, if you must refer to us, you can call us..." 

Sam's eyes widened. "Section 31." 

Now it was Sloan's turn to look surprised. "You've heard of us." 

"Vaguely. Little snippets here and there. An odd mention or two in reports. Some in Starfleet claim Section 31 is a myth. The Council flatly denies such a creature exists, which usually means the opposite." Sam grew decidedly suspicious. "Just why were you fleeing from Centaurus? And more importantly, why were you running from us?" 

He looked a little hesitant to answer until Sam practically shoved the rifle up his nose again. He raised his hands and slowly, ever so slowly, pushed the barrel away. "Why don't we sit down and talk about this. You'll get all the information you need as long as you don't try to permanently clear my sinuses." 

Again she lowered her weapon. As he moved toward a conference room, she tapped her badge. "Racer to _Highlander._ We're going to be here a few minutes. Hold your position until we return." Ending the transmission, she gestured, and the team followed Sloan into the room. As they entered, they noticed someone was in there waiting for them, and Sam's face paled. 


	5. Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter Five

Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter 5

_CHAPTER FIVE_

Apollo woke a start. It wasn't quite light yet... only one of Centaurus' three suns peaked up over the horizon. In the time he spent at this retreat in the past, Apollo had gotten to know every single sound and nuance issued from the wilderness around him. The one that woke him was definitely not one of them. He slowly rose from his place in the recliner, cringing slightly as his back protested briefly. He rubbed it, and moved slowly toward the doorway, opening the door. 

He then launched himself quickly backward as a bright orange beam sizzled millimeters past his face. The sound of it striking the far wall, and of Apollo solidly hitting the floor, woke the other two from their slumber. Circe was immediately in a defensive crouch. He didn't see where she got it, but a phaser was resting comfortably in her hand. "Stay down!" she barked, more for Anna's benefit than her commander's. 

Apollo got up and started to head out the back way towards the runabout. The instant he took to erect his defensive shield was the only thing that saved him, as another orange beam struck him square in the chest. His forcefield protected him, but the force of the beam sent him flying backward. "_Apollo!!_" yelled Circe, forgetting her bearing. She quickly regained it when she hurried over to him. "Admiral! Are you all right?" She got a partial answer when she moved to put her hands on him, and got shocked by his forcefield. 

"I'm fine. How about you?" he asked wryly. _She should know better than that,_ he thought. 

She shook her head to clear it... then, after taking mental stock of herself, she nodded. Picking up her phaser again, she crawled toward the back door. "I see one out by the runabout. Obviously, he's meant to keep us from leaving." 

He nodded and moved toward the front. "Then I guess his partner's just here to take in the sights." He scanned the area in front of the cabin. "I only see him, though. Only two people? That doesn't seem right. These guys had to have done at least _some_ homework." He opened the front door again, and another beam found its way in. However, the man expected whoever came out to be standing... the beam passed harmlessly over Apollo's head. "You two keep down. If need be, concentrate on taking out the guy in back. I'll handle the front. 

Anna watched as Circe reached up into a cabinet and took out a dull black case. Opening it, she took out the remaining phaser and the spare packs, and handed the phaser to Anna. "Won't Admiral Racer need the phaser?" Anna asked. 

Circe smiled at Anna. "He won't need it," she replied. 

Anna's attention was drawn back to Apollo. He had crouched as though to pounce... then he was gone. Anna didn't see him anywhere outside. Suddenly two blue energy bolts came down from the sky and struck a spot on the other side of the river. A man jumped and started running in the opposite direction. Then Anna understood both why she didn't see him and why Circe said he didn't need a phaser, as Apollo swooped down and sent another pair of energy bolts from his eyes to strike his opponent squarely in the back. This display apparently unnerved two other people from hiding. They began running toward a skimmer they kept hidden behind some shrubbery. Apollo flew by, tripping one of them, sending him rolling head over heels. The second one he gave a good shove. The man flew out past the embankment and fell into the river. 

Then Anna suddenly heard a cry from out back, and Circe hissed, "Yesss," telling Anna that Circe had gotten her target. The Andorian cautiously moved outside, but no one else fired upon her. She made her way toward the runabout to check on her fallen adversary. Anna stood and went out past the front porch to the overhang, where she saw Apollo flying over the river. He had two men, one in each hand, and they were getting a thorough dredging in the river. 

Finally, he made his way to the cabin, where he dropped the men with a loud, wet splorch. Looking at Anna, he said, "Keep an eye on these two while I go get the other one." He flew off again. The two men looked up at Anna, holding the phaser on them. She seemed to think they knew her... they didn't say anything, but they glared at her. Apollo dropped the third guy down between the two, as Circe came from around the corner, dragging her captive. 

As soon as she set the fourth man down, Apollo turned one of the wet ones over. "Now, would you care to tell me who you are and what you're doing out here? Hunting of any kind is out of season, and a serious violation." 

The man looked from one person to another, and said, "I'm sorry, Admiral. I'm afraid I can't tell you that." 

"Ehhhhhh!" Apollo said, mimicking a game show buzzer. "Wrong answer." He shot the ground between the man's legs, singing the material near a very sensitive spot. "Care to try me again?" 

The man thought it over. "Let's see... what's the antiquated term you're used to? Ah yes. 'I plead the fifth.'" 

Apollo hovered there, glaring at the man for a long moment. Finally, he tapped his commbadge. "Admiral Racer to Commodore Ryan's office, New Athens Spaceport." 

It was a second or two before he heard, "_Commodore Ryan here. Go ahead, Admiral._" 

"Commodore, have you been having any trouble with any paramilitary-type groups... wearing a kind of black leather uniform?" 

"_No, I can't say that I have. Why do you ask?_" 

Apollo snorted. "I have a few individuals here who fit that description... they're all wearing black leather uniforms, so I figured they were part of some group giving you hassle. At any rate, they seemed to think that my cabin and the occupants inside would be ideal for target practice." 

"_I... I don't know what to say. Do you want me to send someone to pick them up?_" 

Apollo raised an eyebrow. He thought it strange that though Ryan didn't have anyone to do a murder investigation, he had the ability to send someone to a remote part of the planet to pick up prisoners. "Nnnno, That's okay. We were heading back to the spaceport anyway. We'll drop them off when we get there." 

"_If you insist. Commodore Ryan, out_." 

Apollo looked at the men lying on the ground for a moment. Then he looked across the river at the skimmer, and back to the men. _Let's try one more time to shake them up._ He landed just in front of the porch, his back facing the men. He didn't need to worry... Circe and Anna had their phasers trained on them. Apollo stared at the skimmer for a moment. Then he closed his eyes, held his arm out, palm up, and concentrated, slowly raising his arm. 

The group heard a creaky groan and rustling of bushes. They looked toward the sound; Circe gasped, Anna's eyes widened, even the men were entranced. For on the far bank, their skimmer had risen above the ground. As soon as it cleared the bushes, it started drifting toward them. Circe hadn't expected to be surprised... she had seen her commander move things with just his will, but never something so big. 

When the skimmer had crossed the river and was again over dry land, Apollo slowly lowered his arm, and the vehicle softly returned to the ground. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and once again turned to the men. "Are you _sure_ there's nothing you need to tell me?" 

The group's leader had apparently gotten over his surprise, for he said, "Look, I don't care if you're a Q. There's nothing I can or have to say to you." 

Apollo sighed. "Very well. Commander, replicate some manacles for our prisoners. Anna, keep an eye on them while she places them on their wrists. You men are under arrest for firing upon Starfleet officers, and for firing energy weapons in a restricted zone, namely this wildlife preserve." While he walked over to more closely examine the skimmer. When Circe finished cuffing the prisoners, she walked over to the admiral. "Do you think you can handle this?" he asked her as she approached. 

"I'm fairly certain, sir," she replied. "It looks like a standard transport skimmer. The spaceport rents them out." 

He prodded a couple of buttons on the control panel, studying the readouts. "Good. I'm going to put the prisoners aboard the runabout. You and Anna follow me back to the city in the skimmer." She nodded acknowledgement, and he returned to the cabin. "Well, gentlemen, we're going to take you for a little ride. Get up." At first, they refused to budge. He sighed again, rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Suddenly, one of the men leapt up in the air... he had the presence of mind to put his feet under him before he was dropped, so that he remained standing. "Now, we can do this the easy way, meaning you can walk to the runabout under your own power, or we can do this the easier way. That means I can pick all of you up and move you there myself. It's your choice." 

The men looked at each other. Finally, the other three stood, and they began walking toward the runabout. Apollo looked back at the two ladies. "See you back at the Spaceport," he said, winking. 

On the way to New Athens, the leader said, "I don't know what you plan to accomplish by taking us in." 

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Now there's a switch. I actually know something _you_ don't," he replied sarcastically. 

"You don't even know what you're getting yourself into." 

He spared a sidelong glance at his captive. "I'm starting to think I know a little more than you think I do." The leader didn't respond to that, and the conversation died. 

They reached New Athens and hovered inside a hangar to land. Ryan and a contingent of security were waiting for them. As they exited their crafts, he said, "Well done, Admiral. I thank you for bringing them in." 

"My pleasure. I wanted to make sure they didn't think they could get away with shooting at us. Maybe some time in your brig will... excuse me, what are you doing?" 

What Apollo was questioning was the fact that Ryan's men were releasing the prisoners from the manacles. "Oh, they won't be needing those anymore," Ryan said, grinning. 

Circe's eyes flashed in anger. "What in the Nine Hells!! You're with _them?!_" 

"Of course," replied Apollo, and Circe looked at him just as incredulously. "When I was examining the skimmer, I noticed one or two details that didn't quite fit, so when I was aboard the runabout, I did some checking. The skimmer was rented out by Ryan's office." He then looked to Ryan. "You also confused me at first when you offered to send some men to pick them up. You had to call in a _starship_ because you didn't have the manpower to run an investigation right here in New Athens. Yet you have the personnel to go almost halfway across the planet to pick up some fugitives? Something smelled rotten in Denmark." Oblivious to the guards who had just pulled out phasers, Apollo walked over to Ryan until he was looking down upon him. "You mind telling me just what the _hell_ is going on, who these men are, and what you're involved in?" 

"I'm afraid I can't, Admiral." 

"You _WHAT?!_" He started pacing. "Do you realize who I am?! I'm an admiral... Head of Starfleet _Intelligence_! If something's going on, I _damn_ sure have a right to know about it, _Commodore_! Now you're going to tell me..." 

Once again, Apollo's forcefield protected him. One of the guards fired on him, sending him skidding across the landing pad. Circe instantly had her phaser out. She was avoiding blasts, but at the same time, she had to protect Anna. She found she couldn't do both, as an energy beam struck her in the chest, spinning her around. She landed face first, unconscious. Anna stood there, wide-eyed in shock and horror, as Ryan started to approach her, his own phaser leveled at her. "Now... to take care of you." As he pulled the trigger, a blur rushed past, taking Anna out of the path of the energy beam. This blast carved a deep furrow in the surface of the landing pad... it was _definitely_ not set to stun. 

They looked around for a moment, then spotted Apollo hovering in the air, Anna in his arms, clinging to him for dear life. Apollo looked for an escape route, but the runabout and skimmer partially blocked the opening. He couldn't go through the doors into the building, as more men poured out of them. "Admiral," Ryan called out, "you may as well bring her back. If we stun you, she'll fall to her death anyway. And there's no way out. You know nothing of what's going on here. Please give up before you make a big mistake." 

"The operative phrase in that statement is _if,_ Commodore. And I guarantee that once I'm free, that rank will be temporary." 

Ryan finally got frustrated at him. "Bring him down," he told his men. Suddenly the air above the ground was alive with phaser blasts. Apollo dodged and weaved, but with Anna in his hands and limited space to maneuver, he knew it was only a matter of time before they got him. In fact, they had already grazed him a couple of times, causing his aura to glow. Finally, one of them made his escape route for him. A blast had hit a viewport, melting it. Apollo wasted no time in powering his aura up a couple of notches... he slammed into the hole, instantly widening it and allowing him to escape. In no time at all alarms were sounding and men were running out of the building, shooting wildly at the admiral. But he had long since flown out of their range. 

He flew out of the city limits, then plummeted toward the ground. As soon as he landed, he checked on Anna. She was scared stiff again, but she appeared to be unharmed. Apollo knew that in his present state, his energy signature would give them away. So he rushed her behind a building near the outskirts of the city. She looked at him, puzzled, as he stood there and concentrated. She saw his blue aura again, but this time, something different happened. It darkened, went all the way down into the deepest, darkest purple. Just when it was about to turn black, it disappeared. Then the light in his eyes began to fade... as it dimmed, they somehow changed until they looked like normal eyes, only someone who got a good close look at them would tell that the irises sparkled with a light of their own. 

She still gazed at him with a questioning look when he explained. "My aura gives off a specific energy signature. They'd be able to track me as though I were radioactive. So what I did was I changed the frequency of my protective aura. Now it's more like a cloaking device. I'll blend in with the population more easily." 

He started to lead her back into the city when she stopped. "Wait a minute, where are you going?" 

"Anna, the last place they'd think to look for me is in the city. Though he's smart. He'll be watching all traffic out, so back to the cabin is out of the question." 

She nodded. "You might want to lose the uniform then. That would be another giveaway." 

"You're right. While there's plenty of Starfleet personnel here, there are very few of flag rank." He removed his jacket and rank insignia, replacing his commbadge on the burgundy tunic that was underneath. Folding the jacket so none of the telltale ornaments were showing, he tucked it under his arm. "Let's go." 

They walked a short way until they found exactly what he was looking for... a small shop that sold clothing. They entered, and he purchased a change of clothes for both of them, and a duffel to carry them. Their next stop was a dining facility... they stepped into respective restrooms and changed. When they emerged, Anna was wearing a form-fitting purple tunic and black slacks. Apollo's garb was a deep blue tunic with khaki slacks and a brown jacket. He stuffed the clothes they once wore into the duffel, then they sat down for a bite to eat. Neither of them said much through their meal. Anna looked around casually. Once or twice, she had seen guards in black leather uniforms walk by the restaurant. One pair stopped in, but after a minute, they walked back out. The couple times she looked at Apollo, he seemed intent on his meal, but the look on his face also told her that his mind was rapidly sifting through ideas. 

"I have to know who these people are," he said quietly. "I have to know what authority they follow that they can so blatantly turn against a high-ranking officer. And we have to get Circe back. They have to be expecting at least that much from us." 

As soon as they finished their meal, they returned to the streets, wandering around like a couple of tourists. The whole time, they always saw at least two teams of guards looking around. What Anna couldn't understand is why they just couldn't recognize the two of them by appearance alone. She wondered if he could make both of them look different as well. Several times, she tried to look at her reflection in a store window, or a pond, but she still looked the same. 

Finally, Apollo said, "You won't notice any change, except for my eyes. But the guards won't see us. They're looking specifically for a woman with a Starfleet officer with glowing eyes. I have... certain mental abilities. One thing I can do is make a mental suggestion to them that we're not really here. Their vision will kind of slide off of us, compelled to look elsewhere rather than where we are. But I don't know how long I can fool them. We need to take advantage of the time we have before they catch on... to find a place to settle in for the night." She nodded in agreement. 

They knew precisely when Apollo's little trick wore off. As he had said, the guards would scan the walkways, pausing at each individual, but they always seemed to just pass the two of them up. Suddenly, a pair did a double-take, and looked at them as though the men swore they didn't see the couple there before. Apollo managed to lead Anna into a crowd and lose themselves just as the guards started to head towards their position. 

"That's it," he said. "I couldn't hold up the illusion any more. If any of those men know what to look for, they'll find us." 

As it was getting dark again, he managed to bring her into an alley. The sides of the buildings on either sides were lined with containers that looked like refuse bins. She tugged at his sleeve. "I think we should split up." He looked at her as though she had suddenly grown a third eye. "They're looking for two people." 

"So what do you suppose we do?" 

He looked around, trying to find a place to hide. He eyed one of the bins against the building. _The things I have to do..._ He opened one of the bins and sighed in relief when it was empty. Normally, refuse bins would be odd in a time when anything can be recycled, but replicators to shove used materials are just not always available. Hence the smaller cans in the parks, which are emptied into the refuse bins during the day, which are then emptied to cargo chuttles which travel to industrial replicator centers where the trash is dumped for base matter. "You hide here. I'll go out and try to draw them off. Maybe I can take a few of them out, and they'll be so busy tending to their own that the pressure can ease up from us for a while." 

He didn't like it, it wasn't a good plan, but for now, it was better than constantly wandering around. And she _was_ starting to look tired, even to the point of sagging a bit... in fact, she even looked a little sweaty... so he figured this way she could rest. Remarkably, she agreed to it. They opened the top of one of the bins, and she climbed into it, first making sure it was relatively clean. He gave her the duffel to maybe use as a makeshift pillow. "I'll be back shortly," he said. They shared a smile, and he closed the lid. As soon as he did that, he flew to the top of the building and perched on the roof, looking out over the city. The lights were just beginning to turn on. 

Suddenly, Apollo saw something that merited closer attention. Leaping down from the roof and making a soft landing, he jogged over to a spot in a nearby park and shook his head. The markers were gone, the commpanel replaced, but this was the very same spot where this whole fiasco began for him. Even the outline where the young man's final moment had been was gone. He backed a couple of steps and leaned against a tree, then stood just as quickly. He had placed his hand in some of the tree's sap. This was the same tree he leaned against before, except... _That was a couple of days ago... wouldn't the sap have dried by now?_ He brought his hand up under his nose and sniffed. It didn't smell like tree sap. Apollo rubbed his fingers in the substance, trying to determine what it was. He had the inking of an idea, though without a tricorder, he couldn't be certain. 

He heard voices getting nearer. Without hesitation, he leapt straight up and perched himself on one of the branches in the tree, as two guards walked underneath. "I'm tellin' ya, Murphy, I swore I saw someone standing under this tree just a minute ago." 

"Ah, this whole search is driving us all buggy. First we get reports that people appear where they weren't there before, and now yer yappin that there was someone there that isn't there." 

Apollo tensed. It'd be so easy... just jump down on top of them. His landing alone would incapacitate one of them, and he'd be able to take the other one out just as easily. He was about to leap when he saw another group of four a little further away, walking across the park. They'd see him for sure, and they'd call out reinforcements, and right now, being away from Anna, he couldn't take the chance... once they were on his tail, he wouldn't be able to return to her location. _If only the _Highlander_ were here... if only _Sam_ were here..._ He sighed, then slapped his hand over his mouth and looked down, fearing he'd been heard. While his aura was configured to avoid detection, it wouldn't stop phaser blasts. But the men below had walked off, to join the others. 

He relaxed and sat there in the tree until it was dark. As soon as the last of the sunlight left the sky, he slowly and carefully rose up through the top of the tree. He glided away from the park, away from the lights. Touching down on the ground, he made his way as swiftly as he could to Anna's hiding place. Apollo opened the lid, expecting to see her stretching herself awake. But the bin was empty. 


	6. Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter Six

Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter 6

_CHAPTER SIX_

She heard the shouts getting closer. She knew she should have waited for Apollo to come get her. Anna had awakened, and left the safety of the bin. It wasn't long after she wandered out of the alley looking for Apollo that they spotted her. She tried to duck back in the shadows, but it was too late. She heard the sound of running footsteps, distant, but getting nearer far too quickly for her liking. So she went back into the alley, where she knew she had seen an alternate opening, and ran out the other side. A replay of events was quickly taking form in her mind, when she was running from them before Apollo even showed up. Then Piotr was there again, running with her. She heard her cries in her head, calling for him to run faster. The sound of the phaser blast, the light from his vaporization... it all came back to her so suddenly. She began to panic... it was all she could do to keep from screaming. 

She was running past a pond that not more than a few hours ago, she and Apollo were walking by, taking in the sights. Suddenly she tripped, rolling once, twice. Anna got up, but one of the guards was almost upon her. She started to run again, and heard him trying to call his compatriots over. "Guys! She's over hhuuurrrkt..." 

Anna stopped, wondering what that sound was supposed to be. She turned around and saw the guard lying on the ground clutching his throat. Then she saw the arm thrust out from behind the corner of the building, and Apollo stepped out into the open. "I saw you running... heard the shouts." He quickly grabbed the guard by the front of his uniform and hauled him into the shadows behind the building. Anna quickly followed. "Where were you?" he asked her. "I went back for you, and you were gone." 

"I... I woke up, left my hiding place, but you weren't around. No sooner did I start looking for you then some of them spotted me." 

Apollo nodded. "Well, now we're going to get a few answers." With a thought, his aura flared as it returned to his normal self... his eyes lit up the shadows. Anna looked around nervously, but Apollo said, "I had to do this. It'll give me the edge I need." Looking directly into the guards eyes, he said, softly but firmly, "You're going to tell me what I want to know." 

He placed his hand on the guard's face, placing his fingers in certain spots. Normally he wouldn't be so intrusive, but he was getting frustrated with all this running. "Let's take a ride, shall we?" he whispered, grinning evilly. 

It was silent for a moment. Then the guard started to scream. 

~ * ~ 

They were running again, but this time toward the Spaceport. "What did you do to him?" Anna asked Apollo. 

He shrugged. "Nothing permanent. I simply made him helplessly face his worst nightmare. When he's found, they'll probably want to take him off the duty roster for a few days for a psychiatric evaluation." 

She stared at him, then shuddered. Before they knew it, they were at the Spaceport. Surprisingly enough, the runabout and skimmer were exactly where he had left them. He took Anna to the runabout and after opening the door, he gripped her by the shoulders. "Listen to me. I want you to go in there and hide. In the storage compartment, in a crawlspace, whatever. Just wait for me. I have to go get Circe, but I'll be back soon. Got that?" She nodded. As soon as she went inside, he shut the door and locked it with an encryption code. Then he set off after Circe. 

A lone guard was seated at a desk in the main lobby. A bank of monitors sat before him. Apollo knew about them... he stood in a blind spot, staring at the banks of instruments lining the walls. When he was positive of what to do, he rose straight up, then flew as close to the ceiling as he could. By his calculations, he should have passed the section undetected. He then opened his hand revealing insignia pips he had taken off the guard he frightened half to death. With a well-placed toss, he sent the pips rattling down the corridor in the opposite direction. "Hello?" the guard said. Picking up his phaser and a palm beacon, he went down the corridor in search of the source of the sound. Something reflected off the light. Bending down to pick it up, the guard examined a gold pip from a rank insignia. He had just enough time to wonder where it came from, before Apollo, who glided up behind him just an inch off the ground, rendered him unconscious by applying pressure to the nerve bundle at the juncture of the neck and the shoulder. He carried the guard back to the desk and stuffed him underneath. 

Inputting a couple of commands, Apollo found where they were keeping Circe. This would be no small task... except he was surprised when she wasn't in their brig. Instead, she was in a set of guest quarters... under guard, but at least she was comfortable. Getting through those guards would be tricky if he didn't want them to raise an alarm. He _really_ wished he had the _Highlander_ at his disposal now. 

After much thought, it seemed that a frontal assault was exactly what he'd need to do. But he'd need a diversion. An idea in mind, Apollo headed back toward the hangar. 

~ * ~ 

Phense was sucking on his hand. He was doing that to try and relieve the pain that the prisoner caused it when she bit a nicely sized chunk out of it. But he considered himself lucky. One of the guards would be in the infirmary for a week. He never realized that the human arm could be broken in so many places. 

Now the Starfleet officer was in the room they set up for her, physically and mentally spent. Good thing she couldn't catch him sucking on his hand... he did that when she first caused the injury, and she smiled ever so sweetly at him, displaying the teeth that had done the deed. He glared at her and turned his back on her as the others took her into the room. _Don't know why she did that... I mean cripes, I can understand kicking and punching, but biting? Sheesh._

Suddenly the alarm went off. Guards that were sleeping in their bunks close by were immediately alert and running toward the source of the commotion. The guard sharing his duty took one look at his partner... when Phense nodded to assure him he had things under control, the other guy sprinted off after the rest. "What's going on?" Phense asked of one person heading for the disruption. 

"That admiral somehow got the skimmer... he's buzzing the building," she answered before pelting off after everyone else. 

Phense went to a monitor and punched up an external view. Sure enough, the skimmer was weaving and bobbing through the air. He could see guards shooting at it, but more often than not, it avoided the shots... the ones that hit only glanced off. _This guy's good_, Phense thought. 

Finally, enough people were out there shooting, and the skimmer took a solid hit. It started belching smoke, and crashed in the exact spot where it would cause the most damage... right on top of an EPS generator. The explosion lit up the sky. He smiled and entered Circe's room. Her face was clearly showing confusion. Phense couldn't resist rubbing it in. "Hehehehe... looks like you'll be looking for a new commanding officer." 

Then he felt the tap on his shoulder. He knew he shouldn't turn around... he was positive he shouldn't turn around... he had seen several holovids where the person turned around and instantly regretted it. Yet something deep down inside made him turn around. He regretted it. 

"Looks like she won't," Apollo said, grinning evilly, and put his lights out. 

Circe smiled as he initiated the command that lowered the forcefield in front of her cell. "I forgot you would have teleported out of there before the skimmer would crash." 

He stopped and thought a moment. "Oh yeah. There was that, too. Actually, I was never in the skimmer to begin with. Amazing what you can program those things to do." 

As soon as he had entered the room, she went up to him and hugged him. He cleared his throat, and she suddenly remembered herself. "S-sorry, sir. I just..." 

He smiled. "It's okay. Really." As they left the security ward, Circe picked up the phaser from the fallen guard and they ran through the corridor. 

Somehow, they managed to reach the hangar without running into any guards. Apollo was suspicious of that, and he held Circe up before they entered the hangar. She was about to ask him why when she noticed his instincts were once again right on the money. There were guards poring over the runabout. She also noticed no one was going _in_ the runabout. "You locked the door." It wasn't a question, but a statement. 

He nodded. "But they're using tricorders. They'll find Anna in there, and nothing as simple as a locked door will keep them out." He watched the men for a minute, certain that at any minute they would discover her lifesign, but there were no reactions to that effect. "Strange..." 

"What?" Circe asked, puzzled. 

But Apollo didn't answer her question. Instead, he said, "I'll distract them, you get to the runabout. As soon as you're there, I'll open up the door for you." He didn't wait for her to acknowledge. He stepped into the hangar and immediately flew up at a right angle to the door. As soon as he deemed himself in the right position, he fired on them with his eye beams. He managed to stun a couple of them before they scrambled around to the far side of the runabout for cover and began firing on him. As they concentrated on him, they didn't notice Circe rush over to the door on her side. She looked up and nodded, hoping Apollo saw her. 

He did. Tapping his commbadge, he said, "Racer to runabout computer. Open entry, access code Racer Echo 29647238429647210." 

The entry door obediently opened, and Circe darted through. It took a moment for the guards to realize what happened, and by the time they did and could react, Apollo swooped down and flew in the door. Once inside, he closed an locked it. Circe had already started up the engines. Soon the runabout was spinning around, facing the guards... and a closed door. 

"Make us a doorway, Commander," ordered Apollo. 

"With pleasure," Circe replied, grinning. She brought the weapons online and shot the door. It disintegrated, sending sparks and debris flying everywhere. The guards scattered, trying to find cover. Once the way was clear, Circe kicked in the engines, and the runabout shot through the opening and immediately climbed toward space. 

Apollo walked towards the rear of the runabout. "Anna?" he called out. "Anna? Are you here?" 

A hatch opened in the floor in front of the small transporter, and Anna wriggled herself out, smiling. "We did it!" she said gleefully. 

"Yes, we did," replied Apollo. He returned to the pilot's compartment and sat down to the right of Circe. Anna took the seat behind him. They shot out of orbit and headed away from Centaurus. 

"Heading, Admiral?" Circe asked. 

He studied his readouts in front of him. "Find the _Highlander_. I wish to be on home turf for the next phase of this." 

Circe looked puzzled. "Next phase?" Anna looked equally puzzled. 

">Apollo took a deep breath and let it out. Then he got up and paced a bit, collecting his thoughts. Then he sat back down, staring at the viewscreen. Finally he swiveled his seat to face both of them. "Have either of you... in your experiences or studies... ever heard of a group called Section 31?" 

"Odd name," Circe said. "No, I can't say that I have." Anna merely wore a puzzled expression. 

He nodded. "I plucked it from the mind of the guard that I... well, that's a long story. At any rate, Section 31 is this covert group he works for. I couldn't get much more than that... his mind was disciplined pretty well. It was only when his system went into an advanced state of shock that I could get anything at all out of him, and that's all I got." 

"What in the Nine Hells do you do to this guard?" Circe asked. 

"He gave the man a tour of his worst nightmare," Anna said, repeating what she remembered him telling her. 

Apollo shrugged and left it at that. "Whoever this group is, they believe themselves powerful enough to take on a Starfleet admiral, and the Head of Intelligence, at that. And win." 

"Ryan was working for them," Circe stated. 

Apollo nodded. "And I get the feeling he's not the only one collaborating with them. In fact, some of what I was able to glean reminded me of an intelligence agency I used to study, a very long time ago..." 

A beep on the console interrupted him, and Circe answered it. "I found the _Highlander_, Admiral. Shall I hail them?" 

He was about to say yes, then stopped. "Not yet. Wait until they hail us." Circe didn't understand, but she complied. 

It wasn't until they were within visual range of the ship that they received a hail. "USS Highlander _to unidentified runabout, please respond_." 

"_Highlander,_ this is Admiral Racer and party, requesting permission to dock in the shuttle bay," Circe replied. 

There was silence for a moment. Apollo's senses were going off, but he couldn't afford to follow them at the moment. Then the shuttle bay doors began parting to admit them. "_You are cleared to land. As soon as you are aboard, Admiral, you're requested on the bridge._" 

"Understood, _Highlander._," he replied. "Racer out." As soon as their ship made a graceful touchdown in the hangar bay, Apollo opened the door and strode out. "Commander, bring Anna with you and head for the bridge right away." 

"Aye sir," she said, though she wasn't sure why he said that. He knew she was going to follow him, and that Anna would most likely tag along. 

As soon as Apollo reached the bridge, he started to say, "Contact Starfleet Command. Let them know of..." He stopped halfway to his chair. No one was moving. Sam looked at him with a mixture of sorrow and helplessness. Apollo instantly knew something was wrong. He sent a questioning thought to Sam. 

_:I'm... I'm sorry, Apollo.:_ she thought to him. While he pondered that, she said, "I'm very sorry, Admiral. I'm afraid I'll have to relieve you of command. You'll need to be confined to quarters, pending..." 

He helds up his hands, cutting her off. "Whoa. Waitaminute. Relieving me off duty? Where did this come from? On whose authority? Sam, there's..." 

The door to the ready room had opened during his questions. "By my authority, Admiral." 

Apollo quickly turned, and saw Admiral Nechayev standing there. "Excuse me?" 

"Apollo... is it true? What she's been saying?" Sam asked. 

"I'm afraid you'll have to be taken into custody," Nechayev said. 

He pointed to the other admiral. "You... you're part of this. You're one of Sec..." 

"You see, Captain, it's just as I had described." 

Sam started to walk towards her husband. Things were going too fast... Apollo needed to think. He backed quickly toward the turbolift. By sheer luck, the doors were opening to admit Circe and Anna, but they were blocked when Apollo got in. The doors shut again. 


	7. Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter Seven

Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter 8

_CHAPTER SEVEN_

Despite her feelings, Sam's training went into action. "Security, this is Captain Racer. General quarters. Find and subdue Admiral Racer." That's all she could say... she hoped the crew would rely on their training as well. She turned on Nechayev. "You'd better hope to God you're right." 

Nechayev merely smiled slyly. "I think I know where he might be going. He'll know we'll have the transporters, so he'll try to return to the shuttle bay." 

"Or maybe that's what he wants you to believe," Sam added, more than happy to play devil's advocate. 

The admiral glared at Sam. "You may not have to cooperate, but stay out of my way." She tapped her badge. "Nechayev to transporter room. This is what I want you to do..." 

~ * ~ 

As they descended in the turbolift, Circe looked to Apollo. "What was going on up there." 

He clearly looked troubled. "Nechayev. That bitch is part of Section 31. And she's turned Sam and my crew against me." He leaned back against the wall to think. 

"I can't believe that," Circe said. "Sam would never turn against you. Maybe she was ordered not to do anything." 

He shook his head. "I don't know. What I do know is this ship isn't as safe as I thought it would be." 

Circe bowed her head for an instant. "So now what? Back to the shuttle bay?" 

"That's one of the first places they'll look, along with the transporter rooms. For now, let's just head back to the runabout." 

They exited the turbolift and only went a short distance before two security men confront them. "Admiral, sir, you need to come with us." 

Apollo thought fast. "Have you been given any reason why I should be detained?" 

They looked at each other. "Only that Admiral Nechayev ordered for you to be..." 

"And you never thought to question why she would have a starship commander's _own crew_ apprehend him?" 

As he suspected, their loyalty for him was making them waver. Circe decided to help out. "Sheenan, Bradshaw, if he was as guilty as Nechayev says he is, wouldn't you think I'd be taking him to the brig myself?" 

They put their phasers away. "You have a point there, Chief," they said. Suddenly, the decision was taken off their hands when they were stunned from behind. Nechayev came walking up, phaser in hand. 

Apollo put Circe and Anna behind him. Despite the brightness of the corridor lighting, they could see his aura flare. "Why the hell are you doing this, Nechayev? Payback because I trounced your boys on Centaurus?" 

"Partly. I also have information that you don't have. If you knew what I did, you'd cooperate." 

"Well then, why don't you tell me what I need to know?" Apollo asked. Just then, Sam came running around the bend... she stopped short when she saw what was going on. 

Nechayev looked at them. "I'm afraid I can't. If you put Anna into custody, we can talk." 

"_Anna?!_" Apollo was stunned. "What the hell does Section 31 want with Anna? No, I don't care. She's under my protection, and no Starfleet wannabes are going to have her." 

Nechayev slowly shook her head. "You just don't know who you're dealing with, do you." She moved her phaser to the left a few inches. "Now, surrender, or I'll shoot your wife." 

"Oh that is just so petty." 

"Maybe, but I will shoot her." 

Apollo thought. He may have been able to protect Circe and Anna, but not all three. He slumped in defeat. Nechayev nodded. "Good. That's about the smartest thing you've done..." She didn't finish her sentence. She moved forward to take Apollo into custody, when Apollo did the only thing he felt possible. He slugged Nechayev. 

She landed flat on her back, out cold. He turned and looked at Sam. "I'm sorry," he said. Apollo took Anna by the arm and turned to Circe. "Stay here with Sam. I'm taking Anna out of here." He started running down the corridor. 

Sam called after him. "Apollo, they won't let you near the transporters, or the shuttlebay!" 

In her mind, he told her, _:I'm not going to either of them.:_ She was left there to puzzle it over. 

It wasn't long before Admiral Nechayev came to in Sickbay. She was looking up at Sam, Circe, and Kellara. It took only a moment for her to remember what happened. "That son of a bitch! I'm going to personally skin him alive." 

"I don't think you're going to go anywhere, Admiral," said Sam. "You threatened to shoot a Starfleet officer, and I'm not talking about Admiral Racer. You're going to stay there for a while." 

Nechayev chuckled. "I'm still in command here. Unless you wish to share Racer's fate, you'll follow orders." 

Sam looked to Kellara. "I think she's still delirious. What do you think?" 

"It's possible. If he hit her hard enough to knock her out, she might have a concussion. I think she should be kept sedated." 

"Now wait just a..." Nechayev's protest was cut off as with the hiss of a hypospray she slumped into unconsciousness. 

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Circe shook her head. "It's not over yet. He still has to get Anna to safety." 

"Yes, but where can he go, when he's not safe on his own ship?" Kellara said. 

Sam leaned against the next biobed and thought aloud. "The transporters are covered, the shuttlebays were blocked... where could he go? Where could he go...." 

She stood straight up. The thought hit her just as the comm system chirped. She responded. "Racer here." 

"_Captain_," came a report from the bridge. "_I think you should know that..._" 

~ * ~ 

The captain's yacht released from its moorings in its berth on the underside of the saucer section. The nacelles unfurled away from the fuselage, and the ship shot away at warp. "Thank you, Sam," Apollo said quietly. 

"I can't believe we actually got away with this," Anna exclaimed. 

"Most of the time, the captain's yacht isn't used. So it just sits at the bottom of the saucer, waiting to be used. And maybe it's that complacence that allowed us access to it." He sighed. "It'll teach me to ensure this area is covered in the future as well." He stood and began pacing. When that didn't help, he went to the replicator in back and ordered a raktajino. He took a swig and swirled the liquid around in the mug. 

Apollo went through three raktajinos before he decided that the only thing he could do is just turn around and return to the _Highlander_. "Anna, we..." Suddenly, he detected the telltale sound of the engines dropping them out of warp. He headed up to the pilot's station. "Anna, what happened? What's wrong?" 

Anna turned and smiled. "Nothing's wrong. We're here." 

"Here??" Apollo looked out the viewport, at the sensor readings. "We're in the middle of nowhere. What are you talking about?" 

"Not exactly nowhere." 

Apollo checked the sensor readings again. There were no systems in the area. _It's not what's here, though, it's where we are. Why would she..._ He ended his speculation when he saw a Romulan warbird decloak in front of him. The readouts showed another one behind them. "What the?" As he turned to question Anna, something solid slammed into him. He struck the bulkhead behind him hard and slid to the floor. Groggily, he shook his head to clear it. As his vision cleared, he saw Anna's arm, which had grossly stretched and enlarged to attack him, retract back to "normal." The arm had also taken on a shiny, orange liquid consistency. 

Anna watched him as he rose, then raised an eyebrow. "You don't look so surprised." 

He grunted as he got to his feet. "That you're a changeling? Should I be?" 

She snorted. "When did you figure it out?" 

"Shortly after I left you in your hiding place. I returned to the park, and found a tree covered in sap... the very same tree I leaned against when I arrived on Centaurus. It was the very tree you were hiding in." 

Anna chuckled. "So a tree had sap." 

He shook his head. "And your people call us 'solids' simple. None of the other trees had sap in them. I had felt the sap, and it wasn't as gummy as I expected. Fortunately, I didn't have to analyze it to know what it was. One time when I was aboard _Deep Space Nine_, I encountered a Founder in his liquid form. The liquid I felt was similar to him. I surmise that you might've been injured in your escape from Section 31 when you climbed that tree." 

She smiled. "Very astute." 

"There were other things, small things, that I noticed that made me suspicious as well. For instance, when we were in the hangar, the security agents should have been able to scan the interior of the runabout and find you, regardless of where you hid. Unless you shapeshifted to become a part of the equipment." He continued pacing, regardless of the threat both inside and outside the yacht. "What I'm curious about, is why you're not incapacitated by the disease that's affecting the rest of the Founders. I take it you're not part of the Great Link." 

She nodded. "That's right. I'm not. Why do you think they sent off all those young Changelings all over the galaxy?" 

"Their story was to explore the galaxy..." Apollo had a thought. "However, it would also make sense for them to spread out their people, just in case they came up against anything so debilitating as the disease. That way without changelings in the Great Link, the Founders still have people unaffected." 

Anna nodded in confirmation. "They never realized they would catch such a severe plague. But they sent us out to explore, to learn, and to return in time. If we didn't get back before some tragedy befell them..." She shrugged. "Our race will survive." 

Apollo nodded, and jerked a thumb toward the viewport. "Why the warbird? Are they truly Romulans?" 

"Oh yes. The commanders aboard are changelings, but the crew is loyal to them. Once I'm aboard, they will return through the neutral zone back to Romulan space. I suppose I should thank you. Now I can not only do that, but I can also present them with one of the most important men in the Federation." 

His eye narrowed and glared at her. "You _know_ what I can do. What makes you think I won't present the Federation with a working Romulan warbird?" 

She gestured out to the ship hovering off their bow. "Despite what you may think of my importance, they have orders to destroy this vessel. I doubt even you could survive that." 

"That may be true, but can you say the same about the importance of two warbirds?" 

She didn't understand what he was talking about, until her control board started chiming. She touched a control, and her eyes widened, as the _Highlander_ decloaked outside the perimeter set up by the warbirds. And it wasn't alone... three Klingon cruisers - two _Vor'cha_ destroyers and a _Neg'vhar_ heavy cruiser - appeared with the Federation starship. As she looked incredulously at the new arrivals, Apollo leaned against his console and nonchalantly raised the shields on the yacht. "You didn't really think my ship would just simply let me go without following me, did you?" 

Anna's mouth opened and closed without saying anything. "Your ship, I can understand. But where did the Klingon vessels come from?" 

"I'd have to say that was Nechayev's doing. She must have expected trouble, and came prepared." He then looked at Anna with a devilish gleam. "Or perhaps they feel that's what it would take to subdue me." He grinned evilly. 

The commpanel chirped. Apollo expected it to be Nechayev or Sam, but was surprised to find one of the warbird commanders appear on the screen. "_We must leave now if we hope to escape_." 

"Those ships won't let you leave with me," Apollo interjected. "If you intend to escape, you'd better let me go." 

At that moment, another transmission broke in. "_Attention Romulan warbirds and captain's yacht. This is Captain Racer of the _USS Highlander_. You are ordered to power down your weapons and defenses and surrender, or we will destroy you. Comply._" 

Anna looked torn. Finally she made a decision. "This won't be our last meeting. Our paths will cross again." Before Apollo could react, her left arm turned into a giant tentacle. It wrapped around him. It threw him to the rear of the yacht, while her right arm elongated and dropped the shields. As soon as she did that, Apollo leapt to his feet. Just as they started to cloak, Apollo targeted them and fired microtorpedoes toward them. As their shields were down, the torpedoes raced to there targets and struck with surgical precision, hitting just where they would cause the most crippling damage. The warbirds winked back into existence, dead in space. 

Three forms materialized on the yacht, all armed. Sam went up to Apollo. "Are you all right?" 

He nodded, and noticed that Circe and another security guard, apparently one of the new ones, for he couldn't bring her name to mind, was with her. He tabbed a control on his commpanel. "Racer to _Highlander._ The warbirds should be powerless. You're free to take them under tow." As he cut the transmission, the two _Vor'cha_ cruisers took the warbirds and started heading back. Apollo looked to Sam. "I... take it this is where you're supposed to tell me I'm under arrest for collaborating with the enemy." 

Though she didn't say anything, the tears in her eyes told Apollo all he needed to know. "It'll be all right," he told her. 


	8. Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter Eight

Shadows and Subterfuge: Chapter 8

_CHAPTER EIGHT_

Sam returned to the _Highlander,_ while Circe and Jaden stayed with the yacht. Once it was nestled back in its berth, Sam met them as they emerged. "I don't suppose we need to put you in the brig." 

Apollo sighed. "Whatever you deem appropriate... I won't resist," he said solemnly. He stopped at the door as it opened and glanced back. "Just one question... the Klingon ships. Were they there because of the Romulans... or because of me?" Sam couldn't answer... he expression merely grew sadder. He bowed his head low. "I see..." His question answered but his curiosity far from satisfied, he left the yacht behind. 

_I've never seen him this way before. He looks so... defeated. The three of them escorted Apollo to his quarters, where he entered without a word. Sam and Circe returned to the bridge, yet when she approached the command seat, she found she couldn't sit in it. Sam felt she had already betrayed her husband enough as it was. To sit in his chair... even though there was a good possibility that it would no longer be his... would be even worse. Suddenly tired, she rested her head on the arm of the chair._

Scotty had been working at the engineering station. When he saw this, he came down and laid a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder. "There was nothin' ye could do, lass. When it all comes down to it, duty has to be done." She didn't respond, and when he saw his comfort wasn't having any effect. He solemnly returned to his post. 

At the end of her shift, Sam went to their quarters. It was fairly dark inside... the fact that she saw no blue light meant at the very least that his eyes were closed. She checked their bedroom, but it was empty. _He wouldn't violate his confinement, would he?_ As soon as she thought that, she kicked herself for not having as much faith in her husband as she should have. A little further checking revealed him to be in a small anteroom set off to the side of the bedroom. Normally, it would be the captain's office, but Apollo did all his work in his ready room. He had Vulcan lanterns burning, giving off the only light in the room. He was sitting cross-legged, meditating from the looks of it. She moved closer, and heard deep, steady breathing... only from knowing him as long as she had was she able to tell he wasn't meditating, but asleep. 

_At least he decided to keep himself in control,_ she thought. Then she caught a glint on one of the walls. She walked up to it, and gasped. Apollo's commbadge was embedded halfway in the bulkhead, where he had thrown it. Apparently he wasn't so successful at first. That only served to make her feel worse. Without taking anything off, save her boots, Sam laid down on the bed, staring at the commbadge sticking out of the wall, until the flickering reflection put her to sleep. 

~ * ~ 

Two days later, the _Highlander_ reached Starbase 172. During those two days, Apollo hadn't budged from his spot, hadn't said a word, hadn't given any sign that he was awake or asleep. When they finally reached the starbase, Sam came in, with Circe close behind her. "He's been this way ever since he was confined. He hasn't moved at all." 

"Are you sure he's still alive?" Circe asked. 

Sam nodded. "He's still alive." Tapping her head, she added, "I'd know if he died." 

Circe nodded in understanding. She made her way past Apollo, and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Admiral," she said softly, "it's time to go." 

The flames in the lanterns suddenly dwindled to nothing. The light from them was replaced by the blue glow emanating from his vision. Slowly he stood, displaying no sign of any fatigue that would have occurred in a normal man who remained in the position he did, for as long as he did. Silently, Apollo moved out into the corridor, head bowed, hands clasped in front of him, as they escorted him to the transporter room. 

When they appeared in the starbase's transporter room, Admiral Nechayev was waiting for them. "Why isn't he restrained?" she demanded. When no answer was immediate, she gestured for one of her guards to hand her a pair of manacles. She took them and started for Apollo, but was stopped cold when the two women moved around to stand in front of Apollo. They gave Nechayev icy glares. "The man has suffered enough," Sam said coldly, "why injure his dignity further?" 

"Starfleet regulations..." 

"To hell with Starfleet regulations," Sam shot back. "I'm warning you, _Admiral_, you take one more step toward him with those, and I'll give you something that will make Admiral Racer's punch seem like a love tap." 

Nechayev was about to call Sam's threat when they heard from the doorway, "As you were, Admiral. I don't think we'll have any problems with Racer." They looked to see Fleet Admiral Paris standing there. "Hello Captain. I'm sorry this couldn't be under more pleasant circumstances." 

"I understand, sir," Sam replied, taking the hand that Admiral Paris offered and shaking it. 

He nodded. "Although we can do without the handcuffs, unfortunately Apollo will have to be kept in the brig pending the inquiry. That is unavoidable." 

"I understand, sir," she said again. 

He studied Apollo's pensive form as they moved out of the room, and remarked, "I understand Admiral Racer uses Vulcan meditation techniques to maintain emotional control. Very impressive for a non-Vulcan." He glanced at Nechayev and added, "Perhaps some of us would do well to follow his example." Nechayev glared, but said nothing. 

~ * ~ 

Sam stood outside Apollo's cell, just gazing at him. His expression never wavered. "I saw the list of officers who were going to be on the board. Admiral Paris will be presiding, so at least Nechayev won't be able to turn this into a kangaroo trial. Admiral Ross is on it, too, as is an Admiral Stolar... since he's Vulcan that has to be a plus. The other two I haven't heard of, but I'm sure they'll treat you fairly." 

She looked for any sign that he had heard her, and found none. "Your friends and crewmates are on your side, Apollo. _I'm_ on your side. You know that. Regardless of who's at the hearing or not, we'll be rooting for you." Still nothing. Sam had to look away for a moment, and when she turned back, it was with a tear on her face. "Won't you talk to me anymore? Dammit, Apollo, I had my duty to do, same as you did. You didn't know until it was too late... you had the right reasons... you just took the wrong side. That happens sometimes, especially when you have a group as sneaky as Section 31. I know you don't like them, but you have to admit that this time they were right. But hey, you _did_ stop the Romulans from escaping. The Founders somehow slipped from our grasp, but we have two full crews and two working warbirds. I doubt they'll allow us to study them before making gestures to get them back, but it's still quite a deed. I'm sure the board will take that into account." 

She was getting tired of this silent treatment from him. "Okay... okay, fine. You shut me out. You can shut us all out. But I'm still going to be there for you. I'll be by your side, and if they kick you out, then dammit, I'll resign, because the only thing that matters to me is to be with you." She stood there for another minute or so, waiting, hoping he would say something. But he didn't, so she just hung her head and left the brig. 

~ * ~ 

The court martial the next day was frantic. Both sides were arguing on the merits and demerits of the situation. Sam watched as words volleyed back and forth. Occasionally, she'd look at the panel. The officers were sitting there calmly watching the proceedings as testimonies and evidence were brought to bear. Theories were thrown around. Racer had gone mad from the responsibility of his rank and went on a rampage. Racer was secretly working for Starfleet to uncover a scheme to infiltrate Starfleet with changelings. Racer was working _against_ Starfleet to try and form his own ragtag fleet, starting with the Romulan warbirds. Some of them were plausible, others were ludicrous. Nechayev looked as though she wanted to throw her own two cents' worth in. Something told Sam that if she could, there would be no hope. 

Through it all, Apollo sat at the defense table... he seemed completely indifferent to it all. Apparently, the officer assigned to defend him was having as much luck to get him to talk as Sam had the day before. She half-hoped they would call for his testimony so he would finally say something in his defense. But it never got that far. The board announced that they've heard everything that needed to be said, and that they'd make their deliberation in the morning. Two security guards came and took Apollo out of the room. Everyone followed soon after. 

Later that night, she was in the officer's lounge on the base. She stared at a half empty glass of Saurian brandy. The bottle, also half empty, sat next to it. Her head rested heavily on her hand, propped up by her elbow. A hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Lass, don't you know, you shouldn't be drinkin' alone?" Scotty sat down next to her, and set his own glass, and a bottle of scotch, on the table. 

"He hates me, Scotty," she moaned, her speech a little slurred. "I can see it on his face. He hates me, and doesn't want anything else to do with me." 

"Och, Sam! You know that's not true! You two share something that can _never_ be torn apart no matter what happens. I'm sure he knows you're doin' all you can for him." 

"But it doesn't feel like it's enough. I feel like such a traitor." She rested her head down in her arms. 

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You weren't no traitor to him, Sam. You were only doing what you had to do. He knows that." When he noticed she wasn't listening, he gripped her chin and held her head up to face him. "If he feels _anyone_ betrayed him, it's Starfleet. The man has practically lived his life to everything he feels Starfleet stands for. Then this happens... Apollo found out that Starfleet is just like every other organization. I have to admit, I like the Starfleet I grew up with, too. But the things you and I grew up with just don't seem as important these days. They should, but they don't." He didn't seem to think he was getting through to her, so he tried a different tack. "Didn't he once say that Starfleet felt that maybe he could teach them again what it meant to _be_ in Starfleet? Well, maybe this is just what they need to see how we used to operate, and that maybe we need to go back to that way of thinking again." 

Sam sighed, hiccuping in the process. Then she said, "Or maybe they'll just throw the book at him, an' I'll never see him again." 

Scotty shook his head. "Ah, lass. I don't think they could do that if they tried. He'll be fine. You just wait and see." 

~ * ~ 

Sam couldn't make the trial the next morning, which was just as well. Circe told her that someone had come forth to speak on Apollo's behalf. That person had spoken and left before Circe herself could make the hearing, but she did say it caused the board to postpone the deliberations. Sam simply told her to inform her when they reconvene, and she went back to sleep. 

Four hours later, the comm chimed again. She reached out, and after a couple of futile attempts, managed to slap the control. "Racer here, go ahead." 

"_Captain,_" Circe said, "_the board is returning._" 

Sam's head jerked up. "I'll be right there. Racer out." She immediately fell out of bed, stumbled to her feet, and got dressed. Double-checking to make sure everything was straight, she rushed out the door and headed for the transporter room. She returned to the starbase and reached the courtroom. 

Circe was waiting for her outside. "I didn't make it in time either, and they wouldn't open the doors for me." 

Sam nodded. "Do you know who showed up to testify?" 

"Well, it wasn't so much a testimony." At Sam's puzzled look, Circe said, "Captain Picard showed up." 

"Picard? _Jean-Luc_ Picard?? Isn't he an admiral yet?" 

"HA! They should be so lucky. He's another die hard starship captain." 

Before they could say anything further, the doors opened. People started flowing out. Finally Apollo emerged, and Sam noticed that while he still wore his commbadge, his rank insignia was gone. She also couldn't tell a thing from his expression about what happened. He stopped long enough to register the two women. "Be ready to leave," he said to Circe. "We depart in six hours." Then he continued on his way. 

Sam started to go after him, but was shouldered aside by Nechayev. The admiral didn't even look back. She simply rounded a corner and walked away... she did _not_ look happy. 

Then Admiral Paris appeared. "Admiral, what happened?" Sam asked. 

Paris smiled. "Your husband has some good friends. He may have gotten worse than what he did if Picard hadn't shown up." At a questioning look from Sam, he continued, "Let's just say he reminded us what Starfleet's overall purpose is, and that as high-handed as we can be, we're not infallible." 

Sam was trying _very_ hard to bounce in place. "Admiral, what did you decide?" 

"Well, obviously, this is going to go against Racer's permanent record." He smiled, "He's been reduced in rank. He still commands the _Highlander,_ and he's restricted from participating in away missions for six months. Now, ummm... a ship can only have one captain. We can give you your own command, if that's what you want." 

Sam didn't even hesitate. "Are you kidding, sir? All due respect, a command is nice. But my husband and I are a package deal. Where he goes, I go." 

Paris smiled at that... he clearly saw something more than loyalty working there. "Are you sure you won't mind a reduction in rank? I mean, it almost seems like you'd be getting punished too." 

Sam beamed. "Believe me, sir, as long as I'm with Apollo, it's no punishment." 

He chuckled. "I understand. He's a fine man, no matter what everyone says." More chuckles. "Very well. Carry on, Commander." 

"Aye, sir." As she watched him walk off, Circe came up behind her. "Well, it seems like there's only one more thing left to do." 

"Yeah," Sam said, her smile shrinking a little, "one more thing." 

~ * ~ 

She entered their quarters. Unlike before, it was brightly lit. She saw Apollo and slowly approached him. He was standing in front of the dresser... she could see the four pips on the collar in his reflection. "Apollo?" 

He turned. She could instantly tell he was feeling a bit uncomfortable. It was the same way she felt. "Apollo, I..." 

"Sam, I..." 

They chuckled nervously. "You go..." they said, in unison again. Sam looked at the floor. 

"Sam, I want to apologize," he blurted, taking the initiative. "I shouldn't have shut you out. I know you and the crew were only doing what you had to do. Even then, you were supportive of me. I didn't see that... and I'm sorry." 

She started to choke up, but fought it back. "Oh, Apollo. I've seen all too many times how you bent the rules when you had to, to stand up for what you believed in. I had several chances to do that, and I didn't. I let Nechayev get under my skin, and I should have listened to you over her. I'm so sorry." She took a step towards him. He held his arms out, and she went to him, glomping onto him. 

After holding the embrace for a moment or two, Apollo said, "Well... I guess... now that I'm a captain again..." he paused, trying to find the words. "The _Endymion_ is leaving in a day or so. I'm sure her crew will be loyal to you. Maybe when she and the _Highlander_ are in the same sector, we can..." Sam smiled, and Apollo stopped, stunned, as she reached up, removed one of her pips and set it on the dresser. "Sam... oh, Sam, you didn't..." 

She returned to his arms. "I told you before, silly, what matters is that I'm with you. Everything else is secondary." 

"But Sam, your career..." 

"...is worth nothing if I can't spend it with you." She moved forward, a determined look on her face, and backed him in a dresser. "Now you listen to me, mister... years ago, when we first joined up, Starfleet separated us, and they were the worst years of my life. I've never felt fulfilled unless I was there with you. I told Admiral Paris that where you go, I go. If they had drummed you out, I was going to resign. Since they merely demoted you, I took a step down, too. I'm not going to lose you again, Apollo." Her eyes teared up as she embraced him. 

Now it was Apollo's turn to be choked up. He looked away, then down at Sam, but he didn't know what to say. "I..." 

She interrupted him off by pressing her lips into his. It was a fierce kiss, full of passion, every bit an indication to how she felt. When she finally let up, she glared at him. "Please don't try to explain or analyze or rationalize anything. Just... shut up." 

He stood there, his mouth opening and closing, as though torn between whether or not to say something. Finally she reached up, placed her hand on his chin and gently closed his mouth. Her expression softened and they remained as they were, simply gazing at each other. 

~ * ~ 

Apollo entered the bridge. Nothing had changed. Each station was still in the same place it had been before. The sounds weren't any different. The imperceptible thrum he could detect of the ship's powerful engines was the same. But his perception of everything had changed. It was a very subtle change, and Apollo couldn't put a finger on it until Circe spoke. "Captain, Starbase 172 has given us clearance to depart." It took him a second to realize it was him she was talking to and not Sam. 

As he headed down the steps, Sam smiled and switched seats with him. "She's all yours, Captain," she said. 

That's what felt different. He never realized how much responsibility was resting on his shoulders until now. That's what had been bothering him before this whole thing began. He was being weighed down so much with that extra rank that he couldn't enjoy what he loved the most. "Signal our thanks, Commander. Lieutenant Tovas, let's leave orbit at one-half impulse." 

"Aye, sir." The planet on which Starbase 172 resided slipped from view, and the _Highlander_ was under way. 


End file.
